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PREFACE. 



Tjie title of this little work was suggested by the opening 
Rubric of the funeral service of children in the Roman Ritual, 
which directs the Priest to leave aside the dark robes of mourn- 
ing, and to officiate in a white stole (the emblem of inno- 
cence, and triumphant faith). In this spirit the author brings his 
collection of texts and epitaphs before the public, presenting it 
with especial affection and respect, as some slight meed of conso- 
lation, to every one of his readers who has had to mourn over 
the untimely death of a youthful relative or friend. 

That poetry has some influence in comforting households 
afflicted by the loss of a child, would seem to be proved by the 
almost universal custom of signalizing similar occasions by the 
use of rhymes on the tombstone, in the album, and even in the 
obituary column of the newspaper. Versification will not, it is 
hoped, lose its soothing virtue if the effort is made to accompany 
it with taste, and to make it the channel of religious motives of 
consolation. 

The texts follow each other in the order in which they are 
found in the Bible. For the sake of variety, the text and epi- 
taph have not been confined to the illustration of the same 
thought, although they always bear upon the same general sub- 
ject. In selecting an inscription for a tombstone, the reader's 
taste may be better suited, perhaps, by adopting a text from one 
page and an epitaph from another. 

The epitaphs in this volume are original in form, but 
free use has been made of thoughts and -suggestions, from what- 
ever quarter they happened to present themselves. 



God formed man of the slime of the earth : and breathed into his 
face the breath of life, and man became a living soul. 

Gen. ii. 7. 



II. 

Death stole her flower ; but as a tear 
Made known the Mother's pain, 

Religion whispered in her ear : 
" I'll give it back again." 



Behold, I will send my Angel, who shall go before thee, and keep 
thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have pre- 
pared. 

Exod. xxiii. 20. 



III. 



This beauteous little innocent 
A Seraph chanced to see, 

And said : " He cannot be of Earth, 
I'll take him home with me." 



Let my soul die the death of the just, and my last end be like to them. 

Num. xxiii. 10. 



IV. 

Babe ! tliou wert like a Lainb astray, 
Pursued b} r wolves along the plain ; 

But the Grood Shepherd traced thy way, 
And bore thee to the fold again. 



The Lord his God is ivith him ; and the sound of the victory of the 
King in him. 

Num. xxiii. 21. 



I slept upon nay Mother's breast, 
And had a bright dream there; 

But when I wakened from my rest, 
It melted into air. 

Death folded me in his embrace : 

Then I was dreaming too, 
But woke up near the throne of grace, 

And found my dream come true. 



How beautiful are thy tabernacles, Jacob, and thy tents, 
Israel ! As woody valleys, as watered gardens near the rivers, as 
tabernacles which the Lord hath pitched, as cedars by the ivater-side. 

Num. xxiv. 5, 6. 



VI. 

A voice is heard on Rama's plain, 
Near Bethlehem's holy grot ; 

Rachel bewails her children slain, 
She weeps — for they are not. 

He who alone had power to save, 

In Egypt lay concealed ; 
But near the Christian infant's grave 

The Saviour stands revealed. 



For this child did I pray : and the Lord hath granted me my 
petition, which I asked of him. Therefore I also have lent him to the 
Lord, all the days of his life* 



I. Kings, i. 27, 28. 



VII. 

He bent his angel wing from heaven, 

To visit earth's domain ; 
But getting near, drew "back with fear, 

And soared to heaven again. 



While the child ivas yet alive, I fasted and wept for him : for I 
said : Who knoweth ivhether the Lord may not give him to me, and 
the child may live ? Bat now that he is dead, why should I fast ? 
Shall I be able to bring him back any more ? I shall go to him 
rather : but he shall not return to me. 

II. Kings, xii. 22, 23. 



VIII. 

While Justice was slowly prepariug his hook, 

The deeds to record of thy mortal career, 
" Forbear! 1 ' Mercy cried, with a bright smiling 
look, 
" I have chartered that name for our own happy 
sphere !" 



-I 



My son, who would grant me that I might die for thee, my son ! 

II. -Kings, xviii. 33. 



IX, 



Tell me not that the infant's bier 
Is a trophy of Death, nor bathe with a tear 
Its verdant sod ! 

It is an altar which we raise, 
In Nature's temple, to the praise 

Of Nature's God ! 



The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away : as it hath pleased 
the Lord, so it is done : blessed be the name of the Lord. 

Job, i. 21. 



X. 



Wheee is the friend who for thee can sigh, 
When thou leavest this vale of tears for the sky? 
When the Angels rejoice for a soul set free, 
Where is the friend who can sigh for thee ? 



If we have received good things at the hand of God, why should 
we not receive evil? 

Job, ii. 10. 



XI. 



Gentle Mother, cease to weep 

Near the tomb where rests thy boy ; 
Thy beloved, from his sleep, 
Hath awaked to heavenly joy. 
If aught could make him weep, 'twould be 
Thee in tears for him to see. 



The fear which I feared, hath come upon me ; and that which I 
was afraid of hath befallen me. 

Now the scourge is come upon thee, and thou faintest : it hath 
touched thee, and thou art troubled. Where is thy fear, thy fortitude, 
thy patience, and the perfection of thy ways'? 

Job, iii. 25 ; iv. 5, 6. 



XII. 

Babe ! our fond affection 
Prompts us bid thee stay 

But a voice is calling, 
Calling thee away : 

Telling us be humble, 
Telling thee thou'rt free : 
" Suffer little children 
To come unto me." 



Nothing upon earth is done without a cause, and sorrow doth not 
spring out of the ground. Blessed is the man whom God correcteth : 
refuse not therefore the chastising of the Lord : for he woundeth, 
and curethy he striketh and his hands shall heal. 

Job, v. 6, 17, 18. 



XIII. 

If not much of joy I knew, 

My griefs were light, and brief, and few 



Behold, this is even so, as we have searched out : which thou 
having heard, consider it thoroughly in thy mind. 

Job, v. 27. 



XIV. 

Life is a running stream — you, far below, 
Draw turbid water from its earthy bed ; 

More favored I at early morning go, 

To drink it pure, e'en at the fountain-head. 



The life of man upon earth is a warfare, and his days are like the 
days of an hireling. 

Job, vii. 1. 



XV. 

Maeble Urn, preserve the ashes 
Treasured in this silent tomb ; 

Mark the sepulchre of childhood, 
'Till the day of final doom. 

Weeping Willows, trail your branches 
Round the spot where rests our dead ; 

Heaven has robed his soul in glory : 
Earth, lie gently on his head. 



My days have passed more swiftly than the web is out by the weaver. 

Job, vii. 6. 



XVI. 

Header, you pause and pity me, 
By Death untimely slain ; 

Take heed, or you may envy me 
When I shall rise again. 



My days have been swifter than a post : they have fled away 
and have not seen good. They have passed by as ships carrying 
fruits, as an eagle flying to the prey. 



Job, ix. 25, 26. 



XVII. 

Young sleeper, as thy lips grew chill, 
Men wept around thy bier ; 

But Angels, when thy breath was still, 
With hymns of joy drew near. 



Thou hast granted me life and mercy, and thy visitation hath 
preserved my spirit. 

Job, x. 12. 



XVIIL 

Or the millions of men whom thy power could 

have made, 
It pleased thee from nothing to summon forth 

me ; 
Of the millions of men whom thy grace could have 

saved, 
Thou hast called me to-day, O my Goi ! unto 

thee. 
Without merit or claim in thy presence divine, 
Still both in my birth and my death I am thine. 



Carried from the womb to the grave. % 

Job, x. 19. 



XIX. 

That often may but misery be, 
That seems a joy to human eyes ; 

And man may still misfortune see, 
In what is Mercy in disguise. 

Our favorite child is now at rest ; 

God orders all things for the best. 



Thou shalt forget misery, and remember it only as ivaters that are 
passed away. Brightness like that of the noonday, shall arise to thee 
at evening ; and when thou shalt think thyself consumed, thou shalt rise 
as the day-star. And then thou shalt have confidence, hope being set 
before thee ; and being buried thou shalt sleep secure. Thou shalt rest, 
and there shall be none to make thee afraid : and many shall entreat 
thy face. 

Job. xi. 1G-19. 



XX. 



When the Mariner first spread his sails to the wind, 
Men thought him imprudently bold, 

But his vessel sped happily onward to find 
A region of gems and of gold. 

Thus I leave you, sweet friends, to prepare for your 
rest, 

A home of delights in the land of the blest. 



Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many 
miseries. Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth 
as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state. 

Job, xiv. 1, 2. 



XXI. 

Mothee dearest, on this earth 
Thou hast prayed for me ; 

Eaised to heaven, by second birth, 
I shall pray for thee. 

God will let me know and love 

My sweet mother, from above, 



The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with 
thee : thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed. 

Job, xiv. 5. 



XXIL 

He who lies here was not renowned on earth ; 

Nor yet for skill, or deeds of valor done, 
Distinguished from his fellows : brief the life 

Whose trophies deck this spot. Yet treasured in it 
Were all a Mother's love, a Father's hopes, 

Now wrecked upon this monumental stone. 
But let the tomb of Innocence teach thee, 

O passer-by ! a moral to remember : 
Death is life's echo — see to it that thy life 

Make music fit for Angels' ears ; then sweetly 
Will sound the closing tone, and furnish forth 

The key-note of a blest Eternity. 



I know that my Redeemer liveth ; and in the last day I shall rise 
out of the earth : and I shall be clothed again with my skin, and in 
my flesh I shall see my God ; whom I myself shall see, and my eyes 
shall behold, and not another : this my hope is laid up in my bosom. 

Job, xix. 25-27. 



XXIII. 

The name is my own on the cold gray stone 

Yet fear me not — draw near ; 
"Were the dead to arise before thine eyes, 

Only a Babe would appear. 



There is no power upon earth that can be compared with him who 
was made to fear no one. He beholdtth every high thing, he is king 
over all the children of pride. 

Job. xli. 24, 25. 



XXIV. 

What is a grave ? ,r Fis an open door : 
I enter as others have entered before ; 

But passing its threshold, I know that I 
Shall come out again on my way to the sky. 



I have slept and have taken my rest : and I have risen up, because 
the Lord hath protected me. 

Psalm iii. 6. 



XXV. 

As a falling drop o'er a wintry field, 

Ere it reaches the ground, is oft congealed ; 

As a snowy flake o'er a southern main 

Melts away ere it touches the liquid plain ; 

I was seized by Death at my very birth, 

On my way from heaven to this warm, green Earth. 

But the freezing drop and the melting snow 

Shall exhale and shine 'round heaven's bright bow, 

And my spirit shall spring from earth's domain, 

On bright wings back to the sky again. 



In peace in the self same I ivill sleep, and I ivill rest : for thou, 
Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope. 

Psalm iv. 9, 10. 



XXVI. 

My grave is dug — the church-yard earth 

Is strewn upon me now, 
But not before the wave of life 

Has washed ray infant brow. 

Swathed in the stiff and formal shroud, 
My corpse to earth is given, 

But clad in bright baptismal robe, 
My soul ascends to heaven. 



Lord, in the morning thou, shalt hear my voice. In the morning 
I will stand before thee, and will see. In the multitude of thy mercy, 
I will come into thy house ; I ivill ivorship towards thy holy temple, in 
thy fear. 

Psalm v. 4, 5, 8. 



XXVII. 

Beautiful butterfly, soar through the air, 
Like to a floating gem so rare ; 
Like to a flower on wings so fair, 
Beautiful butterfly, soar through the air. 
The symbol art thou of a spirit of light 
Breaking free from the bondage of earth and of 
night. 



Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected 
praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and 
the avenger. For I mil behold thy heavens, the works of thy 
fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded. 

Psalm viii. 3. 4. 



XXVHI 

The voice of God at midnight broke 
The infant Samuel's sleep ; 

Of coming strife and toil it spoke, 
Of vengeance dark and deep. 

I, too, have heard that voice at night 
Come whispering in my dwelling ; 

Not war to others, but to me 
Eternal peace foretelling. 



Thou liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may declare 
all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion. I will rejoice 
in thy salvation. 

Psalm ix. 15, 16. 



XXIX. 

To Life for Death wert given, 
How near is Earth to Heaven ! 



My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation : I will sing to the Lord, 
who giveth me good things : yea, I will sing to the name of the Lord 
the most High. 

Psalm xii. 6. 



XXX. 

Bettee die in blessedness, 
Than sully life with wickedness ! 



Lord, voho shall dwell in thy tabernacle ? or who shall rest in thy 
holy hill f He that walketh without blemish, who hath not used deceit 
in his tongue, nor hath done evil to his neighbor. 

Psalm xiv. 1-3. 



XXXI. 



Life is clone — 
Heaven is won : 
He's at rest 
With the Blest ! 



The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup : it is thou 
that wilt restore my inheritance to me. The lines are fallen unto me in 
goodly places : for my inheritance is goodly to me. Therefore my heart- 
hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced : moreover my flesh also 
shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in death, nor wilt 
thou give thy holy one to see corruption. 

Psalm xv. 5, 6, 9, 10. 



XXXII. 

Life is an Ocean, 

Of tempests the sport ; 
I've escaped its commotion, 

And gained Heaven's port. 



incline thy ear unto me, and hear my ivords. Shew forth thy 
wonderful mercies • thou who savest them that trust in thee. From 
them that resist thy right hand keep me, as the apple of thy eye. Pro- 
tect me under the shadow of thy wings. I shall be satisfied when thy 
glory shall appear. 

Psalm xvi. 6-8, 15. 



XXXIII. 

Our hearts and eyes are full, sweet Babe ; and yet 
We strive to bow, and humbly trust in God, 
Who proves our faith as gold is proved by fire. 



Thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones. He ashed 
life of thee: and thou hast given him length of days for ever and ever. 
His glory is great in thy salvation : glory and great beauty shall thou 
lay upon him. For thou shalt give him to be a blessing for ever 
and ever: thou shalt make him joyful in gladness with thy countenance. 

Psalm xx. 4-6. 



XXXIV. 



Like thy brief day our grief will end 
All earth-born things must die : 

Eternal as the love of God 
Thy joy shall last on high. 



To Him my soul shall live. 

Psalm xxi. 81. 



XXXV. 



If yon ask me why the Almighty 

Chose to call me forth from nothing, 

Chose that Death should then remove me, 

I will answer, I will tell yon 

That he did so in his wisdom, 

With the aim of teaching worldlings, 

That the body which they value 

Is in his sight worth but little ; 

That the soul, by them neglected, 

He holds dear, and they should care for. 



Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord : or who shall 
stand in his holy place t The innocent in hands, and clean of heart 

Psalm xxiii. 3, 4. 



XXXVI. 

Fkom nothing I was made, yet I do live : 
I have no merit, yet saved I shall be : 

My time is short, yet to me it doth give 
The right to reign through all eternity. 

? Tis mystery all ; yet I shall pierce the sky, 

And learn what God is then, and what am I. 






One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after ; that 
I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life. 

Psaim xxvi. 4. 



XXXVII. 

The King of Heaven, to show the world 
His power, had formed a precious gem 

But at its rare perfection pleased, 
He placed it in his diadem, 



My father and my mother have left me: but the Lord hath taken 
me up. 

Psalm xxvi. 10. 



XXXVIII. 



A soul endowed with powers of will and thought 
Appeared, and then from this obscure abode 

Returned, says groveling Sophistry, to naught : 
Returned, say Faith and Reason, to its God. 



Into thy hands I commend my spirit : thou hast redeemed me, 
Lord, the God of truth. 

Psalm xxx. 6. 



XXXIX 

Eteeistity before thy birth, 
Eternity after thou leavest the earth 
What then is Time by men possest ? 
A bubble on the Ocean's breast ! 



Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin, and 
in ivhose spirit there is no guile. 

Psalm xxxi. 2. 



XL. 



O sainted Infant ! while we weep 
Where Innocence hath gone to sleep, 
Pray that when we in death recline, 
Our slumber may he calm like thine. 



With thee is the fountain of life: and in thy light we shall see 
light. 

Psalm xxxv. 10. 



XLI. 

Away with the emblems of grief from the bier 
Of the Infant whom Heaven has marked for its 
own; 

Be the roses we strew nnprofaned by a tear ; 
Be the anthem we sing, of rejoicing alone. 



y 



Thou hast upheld me by reason of my innocence ; and hast 
established me in thy sight for ever. 

Psalm xl. 13. 



XLIL 



A Guaedian Angel led him to the shore 
Where souls embark upon life's stormy sea ; 

But turning from the angry billows' roar, 

The Infant cried : " Oh ! take me back with thee." 



/ will go in to the altar of God, to God who givzth joy to my 
youth. 

Psalm xlii. 4. 



XLIII. 

Ofttimes, when the day is dawning, 
Falls a dew-drop to the plain, 

And the sun, as soon as risen, 
Draws it to the skies again : 

Thus goes the child, by early death, 

To the bosom of Hiin who gave it breath. 

Oft a drop will leave the ocean, 
And for years will struggle sore ; 

Freezing, melting, traveling onward, 
'Till it reach the deep once more. 

Thus man, though late in years he fall, 

Returns, at last, to the God of all. 



In thy tabernacle I shall divell for ever : I shall be protected 
under the covert of thy wings. 

Psalm lx. 5. 



XLIV. 



Hall and Farewell, Child- Angel ! latest Guest 
At Life and Reason's festival, meek Novice 
Accepted ere yet sworn, last gift of love 
From Heaven to Earth — last sacrifice of Earth 
To Heaven : Hail, and for evermore Farewell ! 



is he whom thou hast chosen, and taken to thee : he shall 
dwell in thy courts. 

Psalm lxiv. 5. 



XLV. 

A muster finding precious ore, 

Esteems it as a gain ; 
But drops the earth so prized before, 

And hoards the golden grain. 

So now the infant's rifled clay 
Back to the earth is given ; 

The golden grain is borne away, 
And treasured up in heaven. 



How lovely are thy tabernacles, Lord of hosts ! my soul 
longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and 
and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God. 

Psalm lxxxiii. 2, 3. 



XLVI. 



A tekdek plant adorned this earthly vale ; 

But gathered hence by Mercy's gentle hand, 
'Twas wafted where no chilling winds assail 

The floral treasures of a happier land, 
Where the young roses blush, but never pale. 

Now by the breath of perfumed zephyrs fanned, 
And clothed in beauty Time cannot impair, 
'Neath Mercy's smile it shines, and blossoms there. 



The sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest 
for herself where she may lay her young ones : thy altars, 
Lord of hosts, my king and my God! Blessed are they that 
dioell in thy house, Lord, they shall praise thee for ever and 
ever. 

Psalm lxxxiii. 4, 5. 



XL VII. 

Happy is the tomb where the early dead 
In the sleep of peace hath pillowed his head, 

Ere he felt the griefs of this dark abode, 

Or the world usurped what was made for God. 



A thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday, which is past. 

Psalm lxxxix. 4. 



XLVIII. 



Let Grief in sable weeds repine, 

By the sombre pile where worldlings lie ; 

O'er thee we raise a spotless shrine, 

And sculpture Hope with heaven-turned eye. 



Me hath given his Angels charge over thee ; to keep thee in all thy 
ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up. 



XLIX. 



Chbistian Art, o'er this shrine where a child is at 

rest, 
Madonna's mild features hath sweetly exprest, 
To soothe the fond mother who comes to weep here, 
With the thoughts of a higher and holier sphere. 



As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord 
compassion on them that fear him. He remembereth that ice are 
dust : man's days are as grass, as the flower of the field so shall he 
flourish. For the spirit shall jmss in him, and he shall not be : and 
he shall know his place no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from 
eternity and unto eternity upon them that fear him. 

Psalm cii. 13-17. 



L. 



Thou earnest into life a tear to sliecl ; 

To smile, and then to mingle with the dead : 

What more wouldst thou have gained in fourscore 



years 



What is in longest life, but smiles and tears '( 



\ 



Our soul hath been delivered, as a sparrow out of the snare of the 
fowlers. The snare is broken, and we are delivered. 

Psalm cxxiii. 7. 



LI. 



He came at morn — ere daylight fled, 

His earthly life was gone : 
"When sun and moon and stars are dead, 

His soul shall still live on. 



Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him ? or the son 
of man, that thou makest account of him? Man is like to vanity : 
his days pass away Wee a shadow. 

Psalm cxliii. 3, 4. 



LII. 



From G-od the Father's bosom in the sky, 
Jesus, into his Mothers arms descended ; 

But thou hast from thy Mother's arms, on high, 
E'en to the bosom of thy God, ascended. 

He made himself a child like unto thee, 

That so his death, sweet boy, thy life might be. 









He pleased God, and was beloved, and living among sinners, he was 
translated. He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his un- 
derstanding, or deceit beguile his soul. Being made perfect in a, 
short space, he fulfilled a long time. 

Wisdom, iv. 10, 11, 13. 



LIII. 

The Infant's life wouldst thou repeat ? 

The Infant's death is all his story ; 
The Infant's tomb is at thy feet ; 

The Infant's home, in endless glory. 






The hope of the wicked is as dust which is blown away with the 
wind ; and as a thin froth which is dispersed by the storm; and as 
smoke that is scattered abroad by the wind ; and as the remem- 
brance of a guest of one day that passcth by. But the just shall 
live for evermore : and their reward is with the Lord , and the care 
of them ivith the most High. 

Wisdom, v. 15, 16. 



LIV. 

Mother ! caressingly 
Bent o'er thy Boy, 

Death has distressingly 
Kobbed thee of joy. 

He was too beautiful 
For earth's abode ; 

Try and be dutiful — 
Give him to God. 



w , 



The corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly 
habitation presseth down the mind. 

Wisdom, ix. 15. 



LV. 

The Oil and Chrism upon thy brow, 

All holy have remained ; 
Thy burning light and garment white 

Are still undimmed, unstained. 

To wicked pomps or worldly works 
Thy thoughts shall ne'er be given : 

God wills thou shalt not serve on earth. 
But reign at once in Heaven. 



Going into the house, they found the child with Mary his 
mother : and falling down, they adored him: and opening their 
treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, 

Matt. ii. 1 1. 



LVI. 



The rosebud withered on its stem, 
The blossom dropping from its tree, 

Stolen away the precious gem, 

My loved, lost child, are like to thee. 

A torch deserted by its ray, 

A tree that's robbed of every leaf, 

A ring whose gem is borne away, 
Are emblems of thy mother's grief. 






Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias, the prophet, 
saying : A voice in Rama ivas Iieard, lamentation and great mourn- 
ing : Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, be- 
cause they are not. 

Matt. ii. 17, 18. 



LVIL 

As the surface of a stream is frozen fast, 
On a wintry morn, by a polar blast, 
My outward form grew cold and still, 
'Neath the frost of Death's untimely chill. 

And as the waters, though hidden, glide 
'Neath their icy pall to the Ocean's tide, 
So my spirit lives on, and plunges free 
In the fathomless deep of Eternity. 



Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. 

Matt. v. 5. 



LVIII. 

The power of Nature shifts the scene, 
And light at morning flows, 

Where o'er the vale and forest green 
Dark clouds at evening 1 rose. 



Thus, doubt it not, diviner power 
Will soothe the bitter pain 

That tries your hearts in this sad hour, 
And all will smile aerain. 



Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. 

Matt. v. 



LIX. 

Thy Faith was never blind ; for scarcely born, 
Tlion sawest the light of Heavens eternal morn. 
What Hope is, thou couldst only understand 
By looking backward from the promised land ; 
Thy Saviour granted Faith and Hope to thee, 
Made perfect in eternal Charity. 



Father, thy will he done! 



Matt. vi. 10. 



What is Life ? "lis a breath, a dream- 
A melting note — a meteor's gleam — 
A falling leaf — a passing wave — 
A step from the cradle to the grave ! 



hay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . . . Where thy 
treasure is, there is thy heart also. 

Matt. vi. 20, 21. 



LXI. 

Will He who feeds the little bird, 
And clothes the flowrets of the field. 

Who made thee by his mighty word, 
To nothingness thy spirit yield ? 

No ! like a bird thou'lt upward fly, 

And like a flowret bloom on high. 



said : Give place, for the girl is not dead, but skepeth. 

Matt. ix. 24. 



LXII. 



Once again, departed spirit, 

Earthward thou shalt wing thy night 
Giving form to these blest ashes, 

Giving warmth, and life, and light. 



Are not iivo sparrows sold for a farthing •? and 7iot one of them 
shall fall on the ground ivithoui your Father. But the very hairs 
of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore : you are of 
more value than many sparrows. 

Matt. x. 29-31. 



LXIIL 

Thy soul was like a Dove, distressed 

By vultures in the air ; 
But seeking the Good Shepherd's breast, 

It nestled safely there. 



Come to me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I icill 
refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn- of me, because 
I am meek and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. 

Matt. xi. 28, 29. 



LXIV. 



Stkangek, wlio treadest the home of the dead, 

Where silence reigns all around, 
Pray that like the child who here rests his head, 
Thou may est be ready to hear without dread 

The Archangel's trumpet sound. 



Whoever will save his life, shall lose it : and he that shall lose his 
life for my sake, shall find it. For what doth it profit a man, if he 
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

Matt. xvi. 25, 26. 



LXV. 

Wouldst thou have loved too much earth's tempt- 
ing joys 7 
That Mercy called thee from its dangerous toys ? 
Or wouldst have had to brave too rude a strife, 
And Justice freed thee from the load of life ? 
Mysterious are God's decrees. No more ! 
We cannot fathom, let us then adore. 



Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them, 
and said: Amen I say unto you, unless you be converted, and become 
as little children,you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Who- 
soever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, he is the 
greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Matt, xviii. 2-4. 



LXVL 



He was born — O ! what joy at his birth was shown ! 
He is dead — O ! what grief at his death was known ! 
Learn ye who doat on mortal treasure, 
Pain follows in the path of Pleasure. 



— 



Then were little children presented to him, that he should lay his 
hands upon them, and pray. And the disciples rebuked them. But 
Jesus said to them : Suffer the Utile children, and forbid them not to 
come to me : for the kingdom of heaven is for such. 

Matt. xix. 12, 13. 



LXVII. 

The soul of Infants is a virgin page, 

Malice may blot with foulest profanation : 

Thine the fond Saviour's hand, from earliest age, 
Sealed with a lasting earnest of salvation. 



Many that are first, shall be last : and the last shall be first. 

Matt. xix. 30. 



LXVIII. 



Pierced by the thorns of suffering and unrest, 
He lay and wept throughout the livelong day, 

When sunset came, God to his bosom pressed 
The favored child, and kissed his tears away. 



The chief priests and Scribes, seeing the ivonderful things that he 
did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying : Hosanna to 
the son of David : were moved with indignation : and said to him : 
Hearest thou what these say ? And Jesus said to them : Yea ; have 
you never read : Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou 
hast perfected praise f 

Matt. xxi. 15, 16. 



LXIX. 

Thou who wast man ! say, what was thine on 
Earth? 

" A pillow and a sod !" 
What hast thou gained by life of such poor worth ? 

" Eternity and God." 



He shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a great voice; and 
they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the 
farthest parts of the heavens, to the utmost bounds of them. 

Matt. xxiv. 31. 



LXX. 



A Star came forth, and through the night 

It shed a beauteous ray ; 
Then, upward borne from mortal sight, 

Merged in eternal day. 



Heaven and earth shall yiass ; but my ivorcls shall not pass. 

Matt. xxiv. 35. 



LXXI. 

When is life long enough % Angels tell : 
When it is long enough to die well. 



Watch ye, therefore; because ye know not the clay nor the hour. 

Matt. xxv. 13. 



LXXII. 



To the battle of life as a warrior I came : 
I might have proved false before night ; 

But the Conqueror's wreath now encircles my 
name, 
Though I fell in the morn of the fight. 



The king shall say to them that shall be on his right hand, Come, ye 
of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world. 

Matt. xxy. 34. 



LXXIIL 

Full many tears, O dearest ! we have shed, 
And many more will flow now thon art dead ; 
Yet from thy Mother's eyes in heaven one day, 
Thy little hands shall wipe her tears away. 



The angel answering said to the women : Fear not you : for I know 
that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, 
as he said. Come and see the place where the Lord was laid. 

Matt, xxviii. 5, 6. 



LXXIV. 

Speaks a voice to her that weepeth : 

Weep no more — weep no more ! 
Maggie is not dead, she sleepeth : 

Weep no more — weep no more ! 
Death may part, but shall not sever 
Spirits made to live forever : 

Weep no more — weep no more ! 



There arose a great storm of wind : and the waves beat into the 
ship, so that the ship was filled. And he ivas in the hinder part of 
the ship, sleeping upon a pillow : and they awake him, and say to him : 
Master, doth it not concern thee, that toe perish ? And rising up, he 
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea : Peace ; be still. And the wind 
ceased : and there ivas made a great calm. 

Mark, iv. 37, 38, 39. 



LXXV. 



Death sets me free 
From earth's dull sod 

God lives in me, 
I live in God. 



While he ivas yet speeding, some come from the ruler of the syna- 
gogue's house, saying : Thy daughter is dead : Why dost thou trouble 
the master any farther? Bui Jesus having heard the word that icas 
spoken, saith to the rider of the synagogue : Fear not : only believe. 

Mark, v. 35, 36. 



LXXVI. 



His little eyes are closed in death, 
His lips are mute, and hushed his breath 
Where naught but sights of grief abound, 
Where naught but sighs of pain resound. 

But he hath oped his little eyes, 
To see the glory of the skies ; 
And 'mid the happy choirs above, 
His lips now breathe a song of love. 



Why make you this ado, and weep ? the damsel is not dead, but 
sleepeth. 

Mark, v. 39. 



LXXVII. 

The breezes o'er thy green bed sigh, 
The sunbeams around it are playing ; 

The wild-flowers on it bloom and die, 
In their tributes an emblem displaying 

Of fair, frail life, of fleeting light, 

Of fragrance surviving death and night. 



/ 



Taking a child, he set him in the midst of them : and when he had 

embraced him, he saiih to them: Whosoever shall receive one such 
child as this in my name, receiveth me: and whoever shall receive 
me, receiveth not me, bid him that sent me. 

Mark, ix. 35, 36. 



LXXVIII. 

I saw at niorn a lark that rose and sang, 
Seized by the talons of a bird of prey ; 

I saw a flower that on the meadow sprang, 

Crushed by a heedless foot which passed that way: 

And then I thought of my sweet child, and cried 

For thee, Bird of my joy, Flower of my pride, 



They brought to him young children, that he might touch them. And 
the disciples rebuked them that brought them. And ivhen Jesus saw 
it, he was much displeased, and said to them : Suffer the little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is tlie 
kingdom of God. And embracing them, and laying his hands upon 
them, he blessed them. 

Mark, x. 13, 16. 



LXXIX. 

Oue Infant's birth — the latest miracle 
The power of God hath chosen to reveal 

Our Infant's death — the latest mystery 
The love of God hath chosen to conceal. 



Amen I sat/ to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of 
God as a little child, shall not enter into it. 

Mark, x. 15. 



LXXX. 



Paeexts, weep not for your flower, 
'Twas uprooted but unriven ; 

From the earth by gentle power, 
'Twas transplanted into heaven. 



Watch ye, therefore [for ye know net when the lord of the house 
cometh; at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the 
morning) lest, coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping. And what I 
say to you, I say to all : Watch. 

Mark, xii. 35-37. 



LXXXI. 

Whew thou wert born, all others smiled, 
And thou alone wert crying : 

All others cry, and thou alone 
Art smiling, while thou art dying. 



He that believeth, ami is baptized, shall be saved. 

Matt. xvi. 16. 



LXXXII. 

Happy, pretty, little one, 
Soon thy mortal race is run ; 
Spread thy winglets, soar on high, 
Angels beckon from the sky. 
Thou wilt pine and weep no more, 
As it was thy wont before ; 
Thine shall be a life of pleasure, 
Without end and without measure. 









Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by the shevherds ; and the bright- 
ness of God shone round about them: and they feared with a great fear. 
And the angel said to them : Fear not : for behold, I bring you good 
tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: for this day is born 
to you a Saviour. 

Luke, ii. 9-11. 



LXXXIII. 

" Fokbid not your Infant to come unto me. 1 ' 
This command from on high has been given ; 

But 'tis added, fond Parents, to cheer your sad 
hearts : 
" For of such is the kingdom of heaven." 



His mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold, 
thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them : 
Hoivis that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about 
my Father's business ? . . . And his Mother kept all these ivords 
in her heart 

Luke, ii. 48, 51. 



LXXXIV. 

Chant no solemn De Profundis, 
Spread no crape around his bier, 

Breathe not Requiem JEternam — 
Mother Church forbids it here. 

Let your stoles be silver bright ; 

Let the pall be virgin white. 

Laudate Pueri Dominum 

Laudate nomen Domini. 
Gloria Patri Gloria 

In sseculorum ssecula! — 
There's a Pilgrim less in the Church to-night. 
And an Angel more in the realms of light. 



When the Lord had seen the widoiv, being moved with mercy towards 
her, he said to her: Weep not. And he came and touched the bier. 
And he said : Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that ivas dead 
sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 

Luke, vii. 13-15. 



LXXXV. 

When a sail on the breast of the deep is descried, 
The mariner views it with pleasure and pride ; 
And when it is furled, though he sees it no more, 
It still rides the waves as it rode them before. 

One moment we saw thee, and hailed 'mid the 

strife 
A companion, we hoped, through the journey of 

life; 
And though from our vision thy light form is 

gone, 
O'er Eternity's ocean thou still sailest on. 



If the householder did know at ivhat hour the thief would come, 
he would surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken 
open. Be you also ready : for at what hour you think not, the Son 
of man will come. 

Luke, xii. 39, 40. 



LXXXVI. 

Religion, ever equal, makes 

Unequal fates the same ; 
The Lord who gave, hath taken thee 

We bow, and bless his name. 






Strive to enter by the narrow gate : for many, I say to you, shall 
seek to enter, and shall not he able, 

Luke, xiii. 24. 



LXXXVIL 

My life, clear Parents, was too sad and brief 

To know and love you 'mid the scenes of earth ; 
But in the land where sorrow finds relief, 

I shall be taught to understand your worth ; 
I shall distinguish those who gave me birth, 

And claim 'mid all the Angel faces near, 
The loved ones whose home was filled with mirth 

When I was born to them ; whose hearts grew 
sere, 

What time I from them fled, and soared to 
heaven's bright sphere. 



This my son was dead, and is come to life again ; he teas lost, and 
is foil- id. 

Luke, xvi. 24. 



Lxxxvm. 



Beside the sufferer's couch, all night 
I watched, in silence, weeping, 

And scarcely breathed, for fear I might 
Disturb my infant sleeping. 

Sweet fancies now began to smile, 
Of Hope's bright hue partaking ; 

I knew not that he slept, meanwhile, 
The sleep that knows no waking. 



They brought to him also infants, that he might touch them. 

Luke, xviii. 1"). 



LXXXIX. 

A cloud, illumined by a ray, 
Shines dazzling like the orb of day, 
When of the ray it is bereft, 
Xaught but a melting vapor's left ; 
Yet to the Sun the ray returns, 
And brightly there forever burns. 
Thy body was that cloud, dear child 
The ray, thy spirit undefiled ; 
Thy God, the sun : his radiant brow 
Pours heavenly glory on thee now. 



Amen I say to you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, 
or brethren, or ivife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who 
shall not receive much more in this present time, and. in the world to 
come, life everlasting. 

Luke, xviii. 29. 30. 



xc. 



A pearl, when found, is borne away 

In royal courts to shine ; 
The shell encasing it, is thrown 

Back to its native brine. 
Thy body thus to earth is given ; 
Thy soul shines in the court of heaven. 



I am the resurrection and the life : he that believeth in me, 
although he be dead, shall live : and every one that liveth, and 
believeth in me, shall not die for ever. 

John, xi. 25, 26. 



XCI. 

From a seed hid away in the bosom of Earth, 
A plant springs forth, obscure in its birth ; 
But soon through the crust of its native clay 
It lifts itself to the light of day ; 
And now in the soft and balmy air, 
Buddeth and bloometh the nowret fair. 
So I rise o'er nature, and time, and space, 
To shine forever in the world of grace. 



If the spirit of him, who raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell 
in you : he that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, shall quicken 
also your mortal bodies, because of his Spirit dwelling in you. 

Rom. viii. 11. 



XCH. 



" Son ! why hast thou done so to us V 

The Saviour's Mother cried. 
"T had my Father's work to do/' 

The heavenly Child replied. 

These words must soothe the mother's heart 
Who weeps o'er this green sod : 

Her son has left her to obey 
His Father and his God. 



the depth of the riches, of the wisdom and of the knowledge of 
God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearch- 
able his ways ! 

Rom. xi. 33. 



XCIII. 

When an Archer from his bow 
Shoots an arrow toward the sky, 

Ofttimes he who stands below 
Cannot reach it with his eye. 

Child of Earth, e'en so art thou, 

Lost to those who mourn thee now. 

Yet although 'tis out of sight, 
Still the arrow's truly there ; 

If the archer looks aright, 
Soon he sees it in the air. 

Child of Earth ! e'en so, once more, 

We shall see thee as before. 



None of us liveth to himself: and no man dieth to himself. 
For, whether we live, we live to the Lord ; or whether we die, we 
die to the Lord. Therefore, whether tve live, or whether tve die, 
we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died, and rose again : 
that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 

Rom. xiv. 7, 8. 9. 



XCIV. 



A gem was given to us in trust 

From God's bright treasury on high 

The casket moulders in the dust, 
The gem is sparkling in the sky. 



Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into 
the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that 
love him. 

I. Cok. ii. 9. 



xcv. 

Militant Church ! Ark on the sea ! 
Hail, all hail, and farewell to thee ! 
I plunge not forth 'mid the tempest's ire : 
I touch not the pool of purging fire ; 
To the Church triumphant sped by thee, 
I shall there learn all thou hast done for me. 



By a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the 
dead. And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be 
made alive. 

I. Coe. xv. 21, 22. 



XCVI. 



All are travelers here below 

Journeying towards the land of rest: 
Weep no more for him : we know 

He's at home among the blest. 



When this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall come to 
pass the saying that is ivritten : Death is swallowed up in victory. 
death, where is thy victory ? death, where is thy sting ? 

L Cor. xv. 54, 55. 



XCVIL 

I am a nursling of the Earth ; 
Wrapped in the clay from which I sprang, I'm 
sleeping ; 

The day that smiled upon my birth, 
Beheld fond parents o'er my death-couch weeping. 

Leaving the vale of tears and strife, 
I wend my way up God's eternal mountain ; 

And from this dark and dreary life, 
I go to seek of light the living fountain. 



All chastisement for the present indeed seemeth not to bring with it 
joy, but sorrow : but afterwards it will yield to them that are exer- 
cised by it, the most peaceable fruit of justice* 

Heb. xii. 11. 



XCVIII 

There are two roads to Heaven : 

The road of Innocence is one ; 
But Penance, too, for all is given 

Who truly mourn o'er evil done. 
The first at morning leads me to my home ; 
Tread thou the second, ere the evening come. 



I saw the holy city new Jerusalem coming doivn from God out 
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I 
heard a great voice from the throne saying: Behold the tabernacle of 
God with men ; and he will dwell with them : And they shall be his 
people : and God himself with them shall be their God : And God 
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes : and death shcdl be no more ; 
nor mourning, nor' crying, nor sorrow shall be any more ; for the 
former things are passed away. 

Apoc. xxi. 2-4. 



XCIX. 

The last farewell is spoken, 
By hearts with sorrow swelling ; 
"We've borne him from his dwelling 
And reached his narrow tomb. 

All mortal ties are broken ; 
His body here reposes : 
But heaven's blue vault uncloses, 
To take his spirit home. 






His servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face : and Ids 
name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall be no more: and 
they shall not need the light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun; 
for the Lord God shall enlighten them; and they shall reign for 
ever and ever. 

Avoc. xxii. 3-5. 



c. 

Upon his mortuary couch 

The torch no longer burns ; 
We've borne him to the house of death, 

Where dust to dust returns. 

Our lips may cease to sing his name, 
Our wreaths to deck his brow : 

Angels are crowning him with flowers, 
And singing to him now. 






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